Blaze at high-rise building mainly blows lots of smoke

A fire that started around lunchtime Wednesday in the air-conditioning tower of a 45-story high-rise building just west of the Loop is under investigation, fire officials said.

Two people were hospitalized -- one with minor smoke inhalation and the other with anxiety-related problems -- after walking down the stairs to the lobby as they evacuated, fire officials said.

The fire started at about 11:45 a.m. in the Heller International Building, 500 W. Monroe St., just west of the Chicago River, said Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. It was put out shortly before 1 p.m. Soon after that, employees -- who flooded the streets to watch the gray smoke billowing above the building -- filed back inside.

The flames were contained to the roof and produced a lot of smoke but not much fire, officials said. There was no damage to the building's interior, officials said.

"It looked a lot worse than it really was," Langford said.

Langford said once firefighters had determined there was no fire in the building itself, they used the public-address system to advise people to stay put in a safe place. Still, some decided to evacuate, and firefighters were there to help them as needed, he said.

"Most of us decided 'a safe place' was outside," said Will Powers, 28, of the South Loop, who works on the 18th floor.

Sharon Gray, an administrative assistant for a 21st-floor insurance brokerage, said she heard fire officials' announcement and decided to evacuate.

"After we heard the announcement four or five times, we came out," Gray said. "We looked out and the smoke was billowing over where we could see. It looked pretty bad."

The announcement was repeated 20-30 times, said Connie Dickinson, a spokeswoman for Shorenstein Co., which owns and manages the building.

Manufacturing company GATX, General Electric and corporate insurance broker Marsh are the largest tenants in the Heller building, she said.

Several streets were blocked to make way for firetrucks and ambulances. CTA officials said three bus routes were rerouted.